


Interlude VIII

by Cerdic519



Series: Further Adventures Of Mr. Sherlock Holmes [92]
Category: Sherlock Holmes & Related Fandoms
Genre: Alternate Universe - Edwardian, Bets & Wagers, Feelings Realization, M/M, Romance, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-27
Updated: 2018-08-27
Packaged: 2019-07-03 07:01:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 540
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15813840
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cerdic519/pseuds/Cerdic519
Summary: Sherlock has a moment of realization, and Mr. Kean Hardland speaks the truth.





	Interlude VIII

**Author's Note:**

  * For [MelodyofWings](https://archiveofourown.org/users/MelodyofWings/gifts).



_Narration by Sir Sherrinford Holmes, Baronet_

My brother Sherlock was to have four more cases that year that would later see the light of day, but far and away the most important of them was the first, later written up as _The Three Garridebs_. There was a scene at the end of that story when the villainous Mr. Evans had contrived to shoot poor Watson, and Sherlock had done something that had previously been thought impossible – he had actually shown that he cared for his friend! 

A certain muscled behemoth has just quipped that some pigs have flown by our window. I really do not know what I see in him at times!

۩۩۩۩E♔RI۩۩۩۩

Kean was with me when Sherlock came round immediately after the conclusion to this case, and for the first and only time I actually saw my youngest brother vulnerable. 

“I nearly lost him, Sherry!” he muttered over his third whisky, his hand still shaking. “A few inches to the left with that bullet, and that would have been it. And I would have killed the swine that did it!”

“Of course you would have”, Kean said blithely. “You love the fellow, after all.”

We both stared at him in shock. He stared back.

“What?” he asked, seemingly unaware of the bombshell that he had just dropped.

“In case you had not noticed, Watson is a _man_ ”, Sherlock said, a little of his former sharpness returning. “And he has been twice married, each time to one of those creatures called a _woman!_ ”

“Yet he has always come back to you”, Kean said pointedly, “and you to him. He could have carried on as a full-time doctor when you came back in 'Ninety-Four – you know he loves his work - yet gave it all up to move in with an emotionally-constipated crosspatch for whom the idea of gratitude was unknown, until you realized you might just lose him. Then it is all about you and _your_ potential loss, never the poor doctor.”

Sherlock opened his mouth to challenge that accusation, and was visibly annoyed when he realized it was quite true. I hid a smile. Barely.

“You and Watson have always had something special between you”, I said, “although that magazine which went on about something they called 'Johnlock' recently was, I felt, pushing matters. And now you face the biggest challenge of your whole career.”

“What is that?” he asked curiously.

“Wooing him!” Kean grinned. “Tell you what Rin, ten quid says that your brother is horizontally jogging with the doctor before the year is out.”

I frowned at him for that. It was wrong, betting on the emotional frailties of someone who...

“Sherry will take the bet”, Sherlock said. “I had better get started.”

He rose sharply to his feet and all but ran from the house. I shook my head at Kean.

“What am I going to do with you?” I sighed. He waggled his eyebrows at me.

“We neither of us have anything planned for this afternoon”, he said. “Why not adjourn to our room where I can make several suggestions as to what you _can_ do with me?”

He really was..... leaving the room without me, damnation! I hurried after him.

۩۩۩۩E♔RI۩۩۩۩


End file.
